Château Langoa-Barton: Ronald Barton
Tragically, in 1927 Bertram was killed in a hunting accident in Ireland, and as a result his son, Ronald Barton (1902 – 1986), who had joined the family firm only three years before, took the reins. In order to do so the Eton-educated Ronald took up residence in Bordeaux, although there was a brief hiatus in his tenure, Barton fleeing the country during World War II. The Barton family’s properties remained largely intact, however, thanks partly to Ireland’s apparent neutrality but perhaps most of all to the efforts of the Guestier family again. It was yet another Daniel Guestier who shielded the Barton estates from the occupying forces during Ronald’s absence, much as his namesake had once done during the Napoleonic era.
Writing in St Julien (Aurum Press, 1984) Bernard Ginestet enlightens us as to Ronald’s antics during this time. He left France in 1940, having been advised to do so by the British Embassy. He caught a ship carrying frozen meat from South America, in his hands a suitcase of vital possessions, his pockets stuffed with cash. Once safe in Ireland he enlisted with the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers; he was appointed liaison officer with the Free French forces, and he ended up working on the staff of General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny in the Middle East and North Africa. For his service to France he was ultimately awarded the Legion d’Honneur.
Upon Ronald Barton’s return to France in 1944 there was much work to be done in order to restore the estates to their former good condition. Word on how this was achieved varies according to the author, but it seems that Ronald made great efforts to salvage, rather than replant, his vineyard. Even though some parcels had not been ploughed or pruned for at least three years, he set about bringing his vines back into healthy productivity. This, according to Bernard Ginestet, was why the Barton family wines saw no deterioration in quality during the 1950s, when many in Bordeaux were working with freshly planted young vines.
